Texas Picked Its TV Obsession and I Somehow Missed It

One thing I've learned over the last few years is that every summer has that one show everyone seems to be watching.

For me, this summer has mostly been filled with World Cup matches and catching up on Widow's Bay. Meanwhile, the rest of Texas has apparently been busy watching Love Island.

Or at least, that's how it feels every time I open Instagram or TikTok. Another viral clip pops up, everyone in the comments is laughing, and I'm sitting there thinking, “I have no idea who these people are, but now I'm kind of curious.”

According to a new study, I'm definitely in the minority. Love Island has become the most searched TV show in Texas this year.

Love Island is Texas’ Most Searched TV Show

Researchers at BetMGM Casino analyzed online search data tied to IMDb's most popular TV series to determine which show people in each state have been searching for the most this year.

Texas' winner? Love Island.

The reality dating competition has become one of the biggest entertainment stories of the summer, racking up more than 1.3 billion minutes watched nationwide while generating enough online conversation to rank among the five most-mentioned television shows on podcasts this year.

Whether Texans are faithfully tuning in every night or they're like me and finally trying to figure out what all the Instagram clips are about, one thing is clear: Love Island has everyone's attention this summer.

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Euphoria Ranked Second Among Texas TV Searches

If you guessed Euphoria would top the list, you weren't far off.

The Zendaya-led drama ranked as Texas' second most searched TV series, proving that prestige television is still drawing plenty of attention. Meanwhile, Cape Fear landed at the bottom of the study as the state's least popular series.

It's an interesting reminder that search trends don't always tell us what everyone is sitting down to binge. They can also reveal which shows people are curious enough to look up after seeing a clip, meme or conversation online.

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Love Island May Be My Next Summer Binge

At this point, Love Island feels like one of those shows that becomes nearly impossible to avoid, whether you've watched a single episode or not.

The memes, reaction videos and viral clips are everywhere- they're probably what will finally convince me to start watching. Not because I feel like I have to, but because I'd love to scroll through Instagram or TikTok just once and actually understand why everyone is laughing!

Judging by this study, plenty of Texans have already beaten me to it.